School Information

In this section you can find out about how we teach Reading at Down Hall.

Reading

Reading

Maths at Down Hall...

In this section you can find out about how we teach Maths at Down Hall.

Maths

Maths

Handwriting at Down Hall...

Even in a digital age it is important that children master handwriting. Whilst children are required to handwrite their notes in class and exam papers, it is crucial that they master a fast, legible and fluent style of handwriting as soon as possible. This explains why increasing numbers of research studies demonstrate that pupils who can write legibly and fluently are able to access the curriculum more efficiently. We also know that pupils who can write are also better behaved, more confident and more academically enabled than those who struggle to write fluently and legibly.

This is why we are proud to be a Start-Bee® Centre of Handwriting Excellence. Start-Bee delivers our handwriting lessons in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 and monitors progress through the Handwriting Match Fit Assessment. These assessments are delivered towards the end of each school year to ensure all our pupils are achieving the Standards & Testing Agency’s Expected Outcomes for KS1 and KS2 for Handwriting. The Start-Bee method has been proven to deliver outstanding results, very quickly. Designed in conjunction with and specifically for primary school teachers, handwriting lessons are accessed ‘on-demand’ via Start-Bee’s video-streaming platform and executed by children completing practical exercises using specialist equipment and carefully chosen stationery. Schools using the system have shown extraordinary handwriting progress and this improvement has been recognised by the children, teachers, parents, and Ofsted. Experience has shown the children thoroughly enjoy the Start-Bee lessons and look forward to the music, exercises, and projects within each streamed lesson.